Ocella Lawsuits Mount Amid New Blood Clot Risk Evidence

By Sarah Mirando | August 21, 2012

Category: Pharmaceuticals

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By Matt O’Donnell

Yaz Yasmin blood clots Recent studies published in the British Medical Journal show that birth control pills that contain the new progestin drospirenone can triple the risk of serious blood clots (known as venous thromboembolism) over traditional pills. Women who use drospirenone pills such as Ocella may be exposing themselves to dangerous side effects, including blood clots, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, heart attack or stroke.

History of Ocella

Ocella is a generic form of the birth control drug Yasmin that was developed by Berlex Laboratories in 2001. In 2006, Bayer acquired Berlex and marketed a newer version of Yasmin, called Yaz. Yasmin, Yaz and their generic version, Ocella, were the first birth control pills to contain the hormone drospirenone. The manufacturers of these birth control pills touted them as the “pill that goes beyond the rest,” and claimed they were just as safe as other forms of birth control pills on the market. These advertising campaigns helped make Yasmin, Yaz and Ocella that best-selling oral contraception pills in the United States.

Ocella Side Effects

In addition to the side effects of Ocella listed on the drug’s warning label, a host of additional side effects began emerging that were not made public. These side effects included an increased risk of blood clots, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, heart attack and stroke. Between 2004 and 2008, at least 50 deaths were reported from blood clot complications caused by Yasmin, Yaz and Ocella. Since then, thousands of lawsuits have been filed against the drug manufacturers by women claiming Bayer and the other drug makers failed to warn the public about these risks.

Lawsuits Say Bayer Misled the Public

In April 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration forced the manufacturers of Yasmin, Yaz, Ocella and other drospirenone birth control pills to update the pill’s drug warning to include the risk of dangerous blood clots. Yasmin, Yaz and Ocella lawyers say this warning should have been made years earlier when Bayer first learned of the side effects of these pills. Numerous lawsuits have alleged Bayer knew of these risks but continually omitted or minimized them in order reap huge financial rewards, putting millions of women at risk for serious harm.

To date, nearly 12,000 Yasmin, Yaz and Ocella lawsuits have been filed in the U.S. claiming injuries from blood clot side effects. The majority of these lawsuits are pending in multidistrict litigation, where Plaintiffs are seeking compensation for their injuries. Bayer has already settled nearly 1,900 lawsuits pending in the Yasmin/Yaz MDL, agreeing to pay out more than $402 million in Yaz lawsuit settlements. The judge overseeing the Yasmin/Yaz MDL recently said he expects thousands more lawsuits in the MDL to settle within the next year, making it imperative that victims of Yasmin, Yaz or Ocella blood clots join the MDL if they wish to share in the settlement recovery.

Filing an Ocella Injury Lawsuit

If you suffered an Ocella blood clot injury such as deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, a qualified Ocella injury attorney can determine if you have a case to seek compensation for your injuries.

Visit the Yaz/Yasmin, Beyaz & Ocella Class Action Lawsuit Settlement & Investigation to submit your information for a free legal consultation. The Ocella attorneys working this investigation are actively seeking all victims of Ocella blood clots, and will advise you on your best course of action — whether that’s filing an Ocella injury lawsuit, Ocella class action lawsuit, or by joining the Yasmin/Yaz lawsuit MDL. These lawyers do not get paid unless you do.

Updated August 21st, 2012

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